


Cops and Assassins

by sassembled



Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bar/Pub, Alternate Universe - College/University, Costumes, Halloween, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-01
Updated: 2015-11-01
Packaged: 2018-04-29 07:00:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5119337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sassembled/pseuds/sassembled
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>“There’s no way in hell I’m going out there like this.”</i>
</p><p> </p><p>  <i>“Well, it’s the only costume we have here that fits you.”</i></p><p> </p><p>  <i>“Does this really looks like it fits to you?!” Steve exclaimed, pointing at how tightly the fabric of the shorts were wrapped around his ass. They weren’t supposed to be booty shorts, but they seemed just as tight—not like he’s worn booty shorts before, definitely not, nope, not him.</i></p><p> </p><p>  <i>“If you had just remembered that it was Halloween and brought your own costume, then we wouldn’t be having this problem! Besides, this is a bar, so most people will probably be too drunk to even remember you. Although…” Her eyes lowered to where Steve was pointing. “It would be rather difficult to forget such a nice view.”</i></p><p> </p><p> A Halloween AU where Steve is a waiter working at a bar that requires its staff to wear costumes and Bucky is a customer of said bar.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cops and Assassins

**Author's Note:**

> I decided to take a break ~~again~~ from my ongoing fic and wanted to practice writing scenes that were… different… from what I’ve been working on. Hope you enjoy it, and happy Halloween!

“Honestly, could you _be_ any more of a nerd?”

Bucky frowned into his textbook; he heard that line enough times that he didn’t bother looking up from his reading, but he still couldn’t help himself from reacting to it.

“What’s wrong with being a nerd, Nat?”

“Normally nothing.” As she spoke, Bucky could hear her opening and closing the cabinets in the kitchen as she searched them. “But tonight is _Halloween_. Can’t you put off studying for one night?”

“I have a midterm next Wednesday, so no.”

“And you’ll have Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday to study. I don’t see what the problem is.”

“If I go out tonight, I’ll be too hungover to study on Sunday. And if I can’t study over the weekend, I won’t know what questions I have to ask during Monday’s office hours, and then I won’t be able to study the answers to those questions on Tuesday because I won’t have any.”

“Such. A. Nerd,” Natasha not-so-subtly muttered as the clanging of pots and pans rang out through Bucky’s apartment.

“I wish some of that nerdiness would transfer to me,” Clint, Bucky’s roommate, said as he stepped out of his bedroom and into the living room. He was dressed as Robin Hood, the same costume he’s worn for every Halloween and costume party since freshman year. Originality was not his strong suit.

“I’m glad it didn’t,” Natasha replied. “Or I would definitely have no one to go out with to—” She emerged from the kitchen but stopped as soon as she saw Clint’s costume. “Are you serious? Robin Hood, _again_?”

“I’m not Robin Hood this time!” Clint argued. “I’m the Green Arrow!”

“It looks exactly the same as the Robin Hood costume,” Bucky said as he set his textbook down. It’s not like he was going to get any studying done with these two around.

“Okay, well, some of it may be the same,” Clint admitted. “But the pants are leather now! And my boots are different. And I painted my arrows are green.”

“Oh, of course, how could I not notice,” Natasha said sarcastically as she rolled her eyes. She, unlike Clint, always went all-out for Halloween and was planning out her costume ever since the beginning of the semester. This year, she was a zombie ballerina, complete with a black tutu, bodice, and tights, each slightly torn and frayed, and extremely realistic makeup.

At that moment, Lucky, Clint’s dog, jumped off from his napping spot on the couch to go over and inspect Clint’s costume. After a few seconds of sniffing at it, he began to lick happily at the hem of his shirt.

“At least _someone_ appreciates my costume,” Clint sighed as he patted Lucky on the head.

“I don’t think he appreciates your costume as much as he appreciates the leftover nacho toppings stuck to it,” Natasha observed as she crinkled her nose in disgust.

“Seriously?” Clint nudged Lucky away to inspect his shirt. He picked at a brown clump with a finger for a bit before bending down to sniff it.

“That’s not from last Halloween, is it?” Bucky asked warily.

“No, we went to a costume party in April,” Clint replied as he and Lucky worked on removing the dried food together.

“It’s still just as gross though,” Natasha added before moving on to a more important topic. “Anyway, where are all of your shot glasses? I searched the entire kitchen.”

“Uh…” Bucky scanned the apartment from his seat at the dining table. “Try look in the bathroom under the sink.”

Natasha did, and soon procured a stack of shot glasses. “Do I want to know…?”

“Even if you did, I couldn’t tell you,” Bucky answered, standing up from his chair to stretch. “Think we ended up sleeping in the hall that night since the both of us couldn’t get our keys to work.”

“At least our drunk selves had the decency to wash them,” Clint said as Natasha made her way back to the kitchen.

“And I’m washing them again for good measure!” she called back.

Clint shrugged and gave up cleaning his shirt. Instead, he plopped himself onto the couch, Lucky following soon after.

“You really don’t want to join us?” Clint asked as he absentmindedly scratched Lucky behind the ears. “We’re going to a bar this time if that makes a difference. That SHIELD place that always has those theme nights.”

Bucky sighed as he walked over to and sat in the armchair next to Clint. “I don’t know… I mean, it _is_ our senior year…”

At his works, Clint immediately sat up in excitement. “Exactly! These are the last few days of our youth, man! You have to party now before you become some full-fledged, boring-ass engineer.”

Bucky groaned because of how true Clint’s words were. He swung his legs over to hang over one of the armrests and rested his head on the other one. Clint was right—this was their senior year and Bucky felt like he hadn’t made the best of his college experience. Sure, they partied enough to last a lifetime or two but Bucky had expected… more. He thought he would meet more people, maybe learn a new hobby, possibly go on a date that wasn’t set up by his friends… okay, maybe his standards were a little low, but between school, rehab, and all of the meetings and experiments he had to attend for his arm over the years, he never had much time for anything else (aside from partying).

“You know what,” Bucky said as he sat up straight. “I’m doing this. I’ll go with you guys.”

“YES!” Clint cheered as he jumped to his feet. From the couch, Lucky began panting and happily wagging his tail.

“I still need a costume though.”

“One problem at a time, man. Natasha! Pour an extra shot for Barnes!”

“Already done,” Natasha replied as she emerged holding three generously-filled shot glasses.

Bucky groaned as Natasha handed him one of the glasses. “Is it too late to change my mind?”

“Quit whining, Bucky,” Natasha scolded with a sly grin. “Besides, only good things can happen when vodka’s involved.”

“Your idea of ‘good things’ is very different from ours,” Clint grumbled as he eyed his own shot warily.

“What were you guys just talking about? ‘These are the last few days of our youth’?” Her grin grew even wider as she held out her own glass in between them. “Cheers! To… youth!”

“Cheers…”

\--------------------

“There’s no way in hell I’m going out there like this.”

In the mirror, Steve could see Peggy purse her lips behind him. “Well, it’s the only costume we have here that fits you.”

“Pegs, does this really looks like it fits to you?!” he exclaimed, pointing at how tightly the fabric of the shorts were wrapped around his ass. They weren’t _supposed_ to be booty shorts, but they seemed just as tight—not like he’s worn booty shorts before, definitely not, nope, not him.

“If you had just remembered that it was Halloween and brought your _own_ costume, then we wouldn’t be having this problem! I’ve reminded you every day for the past three weeks, Steve. Besides, this is a _bar_ , so most people will probably be too drunk to even remember you. Although…” Her eyes lowered to where Steve was pointing. “It would be rather difficult to forget such a nice view.”

Steve groaned as he tried to readjust the shorts so they weren’t all up in his business. At least they were decent in length and ended a couple inches above his knee. If they were any shorter… he almost shuddered at the thought.

“Can you just pass me my apron please?” he begged.

“Fine,” Peggy huffed. She retrieved one of the plain black half aprons hanging on the wall and handed it to Steve. “But only because I’d rather not have our customers try to accidentally fondle you or something. They won’t know about the goods if they can’t see them.”

“Wise words from a wise woman,” Steve muttered sarcastically as he tied the apron on.

“I _only_ say wise words,” Peggy replied simply. She examined her own costume in the mirror—she was Rosie the Riveter—before turning to Steve. “Now don’t spend too long hiding out in here, alright? This is one of the busiest nights of the year and we need all hands on deck.”

“I know, I know,” Steve said. “Just… I’ll be out in a few minutes, okay?”

Peggy shrugged. “Alright, but don’t take too long. If I see Sam, I’m telling him to stop by and enjoy the view.”

Steve sighed as Peggy left. They both knew that Steve might be able to avoid Sam’s line of sight in the dimly lit crowd on the floor, but back in the empty and brightly lit breakroom, there was no escaping him. And given that he was Steve’s roommate, there was a very large possibility that Sam would tease him every day until Christmas.

The apron looked slightly out of place against the costume that its packaging called “Sexy Law Enforcement”—basically a simplified police uniform with a lot less fabric. Along with the extremely tight black shorts, the costume set included a fitted black button-down short-sleeved shirt (and the buttons ended halfway up his torso), a police hat, a police baton, and (of course) a pair of fully-functional handcuffs (the key was missing though).

Steve was actually a little grateful that this costume fit him just barely. Even though SHIELD Bar & Grill had acquired a wide variety of costumes due to hosting multiple theme nights each month, not many of them could fit Steve’s large build. They never bothered having his size in stock since he usually had class on their theme nights. His other options were a firefighter, a caveman, or a gladiator, and for some reason none of those costumes came with shirts.

As Steve was just about to muster up the courage to go out there and face the music, he suddenly heard Sam howling with laughter behind him.

“Damn, Steve! Peggy was right!” he exclaimed once he managed to contain his laughter. “I hope you know how to use those handcuffs because you might have to arrest someone tonight for inappropriate conduct!”

“I’m moving out,” Steve said grumpily as he tried to readjust his shorts again.

“Aw, come on, you wouldn’t do that.” Sam walked up to Steve and clapped him on the back. Unlike Steve, Sam remembered his costume; he was a “Sexy Fireman”, but his version of the outfit included a fitted T-shirt. “You love my homemade cookies too much to leave me.”

Steve sighed and shook his head in resignation. “You’re right. My one weakness…”

Sam laughed again before steering Steve out of the breakroom by his shoulders. “Alright, Officer Rogers, it’s time for you and that ass to work for a living.”

\--------------------

Initially, Bucky suggested that he dress as a stereotypical nerd and then he could study if he got bored. But that only resulted in Natasha throwing one of Lucky’s chew toys in his face.

“A Halloween costume should be a chance to dress up as something you’re _not_ ,” she retorted before she continued to look through his closet.

“Then how come Clint gets to be Robin Hood?!”

“I already said I’m the Green Arrow, not Robin Hood!” Clint yelled from the kitchen where he was pouring them another round of shots. “I’m an archer, yeah, but not a vigilante. Not yet, at least.”

“And I disapprove of his costume every year,” Natasha added.

Clint joined them in Bucky’s bedroom and began handing out the glasses. “How about a cyborg?” he suggested. “That would be so awesome.”

If it was anyone besides Clint or Natasha suggesting that, Bucky would not be happy. But the three of them were close enough that he didn’t mind at all.

“I thought I had to be something I’m not?” Bucky grinned and clinked his glass with Clint’s before they tossed back their shots; he quickly grimaced when it immediately started to burn and Clint sprinted for the kitchen. They were definitely getting too old for this.

“That would take too long,” Natasha said. “You’d need more than a metal arm to pull that off.”

“Maybe a hybrid costume like yours then,” Bucky coughed as he spoke. “Like… a cyborg zombie?”

Natasha huffed in frustration. “That’s just a cyborg with zombie makeup. You have to go full cyborg to be a zombie-cyborg, and since we can’t do _that_ —”

“What were you last year, Barnes?” Clint yelled from the kitchen. “You should combine that with a zombie.”

“Uh… an assassin zombie then?” Bucky shrugged. “That could work, right?”

“ _Or_ …!” Natasha’s face lit up like a Christmas tree—or a Jack-o’-lantern, with respect to the immediate holiday. “ _Or_ a cyborg assassin! How does that sound!”

“I thought I have to go full cyborg before I could hybrid it?”

“Only if you hybrid it with a _zombie_ ,” Natasha said as it was obvious. “Now where’s your assassin costume?”

“Back left,” Bucky replied. “Why does it only matter if it’s with a zombie?”

“That’s just the way the world works, James, trust me.”

It only took Natasha half an hour to whip up the cyborg-assassin costume for Bucky—the most time consuming steps were undoing the seams from his left jacket sleeve and drawing some realistic injuries to his face. But instead of using only dark red face paint like she did for her own, she added silver for a metallic effect.

“I must not be a very good cyborg assassin if I get hurt,” James mumbled as Natasha added the makeup.

“They’re just small scratches—not everyone’s perfect,” she replied. “Now just shut up and don’t move.”

“Why do you have silver face paint with you anyway?”

“ _What the hell did I just say?_ ”

Once Natasha added the finishing touches on Bucky’s costume and they were all sufficiently tipsy, they headed for SHIELD on foot. As they walked, Bucky couldn’t help but admire his costume. Nowadays, he wasn’t really ashamed of his prosthetic arm, but he didn’t exactly show it off either. But now that he was, it was nice to notice how people stared at in in admiration rather than shock, or worse: pity. Sure, it probably helped that people just thought it was a really intense costume and not an actual metal arm, but it was a start.

By the time they got to SHIELD, the place was packed. As always, the bar went all out for the holiday. The interior looked like it could’ve been a legitimate haunted house, and each member of the staff was in full costume, distinguishable only by the black half aprons that they all wore. A Rosie the Riveter seated them after a short wait.

“Here are the menus,” she said as she handed one to each of them. “Someone will come by and take your order in a few minutes. Can I start you off with some drinks?”

Once they ordered drinks and looked through the menu, Natasha and Clint began to talk in sign language—it was a lot easier than trying to yell over the noise—while Bucky gazed absentmindedly around the room. His eyes eventually settled on a particular sight, but he wasn’t really thinking about where he was looking until Natasha nudged him with her elbow.

“Could you be at least a little more subtle?” she warned.

“What are you talking about?” he said, then looked back at where he had been staring and…

_Oh, shit._

Bucky been staring at one of the waiters, a guy dressed as a police officer, and his ass for a good couple of minutes. But what was worse is that one of the waiter’s coworkers, a guy dressed like a firefighter, seemed to have notice. Bucky quickly looked away from both employees and towards his friends instead.

“Do he think he noticed?” Bucky asked desperately, making small signs as he spoke.

“Who?” Clint asked through signing. “Firefighter or police guy?”

“Police guy definitely did not notice,” Natasha said confidently. “Pretty sure firefighter did though.”

“Oh, my god,” Bucky groaned. “Is he still looking at me?”

“Yup.”

“Is he mad?”

“I…” Natasha paused for a bit. “Actually, he looks furious. Just keep your head down for a bit, okay?”

Bucky did as he was told, but after a couple minutes of silence, he snuck a peak at Natasha and Clint. Each of them had wide grins on their faces, and they seemed to be mouthing words to someone across the room… then pointing in their direction… then at _Bucky_.

Curiosity got the better of him and Bucky lifted his head up to see who his friends were talking to. Across the room, firefighter waiter was smiling at them and nodded while he held two thumbs up. Then he started walking up to the police waiter.

“What the hell did you guys tell him?” Bucky exclaimed a little louder than he intended. Thankfully everyone else at SHIELD was even louder and he didn’t draw extra attention to himself.

“Oh, come on, Barnes, just go with it,” Clint signed as he laughed.

“Senior year, remember?” Natasha added.

But before Bucky could retort, police waiter stepped up to their table with the drinks they had ordered earlier. Bucky quickly focused his attention on the tabletop.

“Welcome to SHIELD, I’m St— _Officer_ Steve,” he greeted, emphasizing the title with subtle bitterness. “Would you like to order anything else?”

Earlier, Natasha had memorized everyone’s order beforehand to expedite their ordering process; Bucky was extremely thankful for that now since he didn’t think he was able to remember what he wanted much less be able to say it. But after she ordered for herself and Clint, she paused and turned to Bucky with a look of feigned innocence.

“Sorry, James, but what did you want again?”

Bucky felt himself freeze for a second as he stared at Natasha in shock. Eventually, he regained his bearings enough to glare at her, and then he turned to the police waiter, ready to look him right in the eye and hell, maybe flirt with him a bit. His friends were right: this was their senior year, and he might as well do what he never would’ve done as a freshman.

But as soon as he made eye contact with police waiter, Bucky was a goner. Even with the dim bar lighting and his slightly blurred vision, Bucky could tell that the man’s brilliant blue eyes were… well, brilliant. He had a strong jawline that was highlighted by the slightest amount of stubble. Not to mention that police hat… Bucky unintentionally bit his lip as he stared.

Thankfully, Natasha kicked his shin to snap him out of it.

“OW! I mean… uh… chicken.”

Police waiter—Steve, his nametag said—frowned in confusion. “Sorry, which… um… chicken exactly?”

“Oh, right, the uh…” Bucky glanced quickly at the menu but was having trouble actually reading the words. “I think it was like… wings?”

“The spicy ones? Or maybe the barbeque ones—?”

“Spicy,” Bucky said a little too quickly. “Yeah, spicy.”

“Sure.” Steve scribbled in his notebook before looking back at Bucky. “I’ll be back with your order in a sex— _sec_. I mean… I’ll be back… soon.”

Steve hurriedly turned his back on them as if he was making a quick getaway, and while Bucky felt terrible about acting so strangely, the waiter’s exit and the resulting rearview display only made Bucky’s pants feel even tighter.

“Well, it could’ve been worse,” Natasha added cheerfully. “Imagine if he didn’t have that apron blocking the front view.”

At the mental imagery, Bucky groaned and buried his head in his arms. He wasn’t drunk enough for this.

\--------------------

After sending the order from James and his friends to the kitchen, Steve made a quick stop at the breakroom. He sat in one of the foldable chairs and rested his elbows on his knees with his head in his hands. This was such a bad idea… he knew he should’ve questioned it when Sam gave up one of his easy tables for Steve to serve.

But it’s not like Steve was really complaining either. With his eyes closed, he could easily picture the scene over and over again. He recalled how, when he made eye contact with James, the man’s lips parted slightly before lightly biting his lower lip. Even with all the face paint and makeup, Steve could tell that James was extremely attractive… especially with those amazing lips… Then the sight of James’s long hair made Steve want to run his fingers through them, maybe even tug at it a little as he held James close, and his lips… Not to mention James’s body—the man’s snug jacket was formfitting on his torso, and Steve wanted to get his hands all over him. And did he mention those lips?

Steve loudly groaned in frustration. He had over four hours left in his shift—why did this have to happen now?

“If I didn’t know better,” Sam’s voice said from the doorway. “I’d say that was the sound of a man who’s sexually frustrated.”

“Please stop talking,” Steve mumbled through his hands.

“So it’s true! Steve is going crazy over a guy he’s barely talked to!”

“If I can’t finish my shift then I’m blaming you,” Steve grumbled.

“And then once you get that guy’s number, you’ll be thanking me.”

Steve removed his hands from his face and frowned at Sam. “Why would he ever give me his number? He’s probably not even interested in guys.”

Sam stared at him blankly before rolling his eyes. “You’re kidding, right? Even _you_ should’ve noticed how into you he was. And not just your spectacular ass.”

“Thanks,” Steve replied sarcastically. “But even if he was interested, we both know I wouldn’t make any moves while I’m on the clock.”

“True.” Sam shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe _he’ll_ give you his number instead.”

Steve nodded, but he doubted that that would actually happen.

The two of them returned to the floor and hurriedly caught up on the backlog of orders that grew exponentially during their brief pep talk. Steve welcomed the rush since it kept his mind off of James and those lips and the fact that his own ass was basically on display for the whole bar to see.

But soon, the inevitable arrived and James and his friends’ order was ready. He mentally braced himself before delivering it to their table.

“Is there anything else I can get you?” he asked, looking mainly to the woman that was with them since she was the only one looking back.

“Yes, we’d like another round…”

After they ordered a few more rounds, Steve didn’t know if he appreciated their patronage or not. On one hand, it was less awkward interacting with James since he became friendlier with more drinks; as an added bonus, the higher their tab was, the higher Steve’s tip would be. On the other hand, James’s intoxication also caused him to frequently stare Steve right in the eye and then bite his lip _constantly_. While Steve would admit that it was hot as hell, he could not afford to be turned on in the midst of his shift while he was trying to work in these goddamn shorts.

But after a while, several instances made Steve realize that maybe Sam was right and James _was_ interested in him. During the first instance though, Steve did not react very smoothly.

“Excuse me, Officer!”

Steve was just about to put in another table’s order when he heard James calling him. He turned to see the man smiling mischievously from his table with his two friends, Natasha and Clint, he thought their names were, looking like they were trying to stifle their laughter.

“Yes, sir?” Steve asked once he approached him, sounding more formal than he intended.

“My friends and were wondering…” James’s eyes drifted down towards Steve’s waist for a moment. “Do you actually know how to use those handcuffs?”

“Uh…” And just like that, all Steve could think about was those handcuffs. On James. Possibly in the breakroom. With Steve. _Holy shit._

“Uh… why?” Steve finally managed to say. What he really wanted to respond with was a insinuating ‘yes’, or maybe a ‘why don’t I show you?’, but those would be highly inappropriate and completely out of character for him. Plus, he didn’t even have the key to work them.

James simply shrugged in reply, still grinning. “Just curious.”

The second instance was much better on Steve’s part. As Natasha asked him about the drink specials, James and Clint were having their own conversation in sign language. While Steve hasn’t had to use sign language in years, he could still pick up that they were probably talking about him (“police waiter”) and debating on whether or not he intentionally purchased a costume that looked two sizes too small because he knew it looked good on him.

So as soon as he finished taking Natasha’s order, he put his pen and notepad in his apron and turned to them.

“No, I didn’t buy this costume,” he said coolly as he signed as quickly as possible. “I forgot my own costume, and this was the only one that fit me that came with a shirt. But I’m glad you think it looks good on me. Now, is there anything else you’d like to order?”

And then there was the third instance. By that time, Steve had been making a point to walk by their table more times than necessary. And when he passed by this time, Natasha quickly stopped him.

“Excuse me, _Officer_.” She seemed to realize just how much the title was irritating Steve. “Do you think you could take a picture for us?”

“Sure.” Steve took her phone and took a few pictures of their group: the first couple of them where they smiled normally and the rest of them where they acted like their costumed characters.

“Thanks, Officer,” Natasha said once Steve handed back her phone. “Also, do you think you could take a picture with James here?” She nodded at James while giving Steve the most innocent smile he’d ever seen.

“Uh…” Steve definitely didn’t mind, but he confused as to why they would want a picture of a complete stranger. He glanced at James looking for any kind of explanation.

James shrugged and grinned at him. “She thought it’d be funny to have a picture of a cop arresting an assassin.”

“Sure, why not?” Steve said. “But I can’t actually use the handcuffs since the key is missing.”

“You make that sound like it’s a bad thing,” James replied as he moved to stand next to Steve. Now that they were both standing up, Steve got the pleasure of seeing James’s face up close. His breath smelled slightly of liquor masked under a layer of peppermint, probably from the bowls of candy at each table. “Alright, Nat, what do you want us to do?”

Natasha had them stand side by side with James keeping his hands behind his back and Steve holding on to James’s right arm as if he was leading the man away after an arrest.

“Perfect!” Natasha exclaimed as Clint gave her bunny ears from behind her. “Now ignore Clint and try and look all murdery and serious.”

Steve didn’t think that his scariest face was all that intimidating, but he tried his best. Once Natasha finished taking the pictures, Steve spoke up before he could stop himself.

“Let’s take a nice one too,” he suggested. “You know, maybe the cop and the assassin became friends afterwards,” he hurriedly added as explanation.

But the three of them agreed enthusiastically, and James immediately wrapped his arm around Steve and pulled them closer together. Steve hesitated for only a moment before doing the same with James. He only hoped that James couldn’t tell how fast his heart was beating from their contact.

“Okay, smile!” Natasha exclaimed before she took what must’ve been a dozen pictures.

By the time they left about an hour later, the three of them seemed to be mostly sobered up. James was still throwing Steve flirtatious looks though, so Steve wasn’t sure how sober he was exactly.

Steve knew he should follow them and give James his number or something, but as the group walked closer to the door, the urge to act diminished. Instead, he focused on clearing off their table. What were the chances that James would even remember him tomorrow? Besides, they probably lived nearby so they’d probably be back eventually—maybe they even went to the same school and Steve would pass James there. Sure, it was a huge school and they probably weren’t even in the same major, but maybe—

“Excuse me, Officer,” James’s voice said from behind Steve, almost making him jump.

Steve took a deep breath before turning around.

“Yes… James, right?”

James grinned. “That’s Bucky to you, Officer Steve.” And of course, he ended his sentence by biting his lip.

“Alright, Bucky…” Steve fidgeted as discreetly as possible; these damn shorts were getting more uncomfortable by the second. “Did you forget something?”

“As a matter of fact, I did. I forgot to give you my number.”

Steve was too shocked to realize what kind of expression he made, but it was enough to make the previously confident Bucky start to backtrack nervously.

“Well, of course, only if you, you know, _want_ to,” he stammered. “Or, not ‘want to’, but want my number. Only if you want my number. I guess I meant to say ‘only if you want to have my number’, but who would say that? Me, I guess, ‘cause I just did. But you don’t want my number, do you? That’s fine, totally fine. I’m not offended or anything. Disappointed, sure, but I’ll get over it. Anyway, I guess I’ll see you around? Unless you don’t want to, ‘cause that’s cool too. I’ll just… right, I’m going now…”

“Wait!” As Bucky turned to leave, Steve instinctively grabbed his arm—the metal looking one. He paused for a moment, surprised by how cold it felt—it felt like real metal, but that would be way too heavy for just a Halloween costume—before realizing that Bucky was staring him with a look of both shock and apprehension.

He quickly dropped Bucky’s arm and used his hand to rub his neck instead. “Sorry, it’s just… I would love to get your number.”

At his words, Bucky’s expression quickly changed to delight. “Seriously?”

Steve couldn’t help but smile back. “Of course, but I don’t have my phone on me right now.”

“Well, with shorts as tight as those, where could you possibly fit a phone?”

The comment caught Steve completely off-guard and he couldn’t hold back the blush that he could feel creeping onto his face.

“I, uh…” Steve coughed. “I can get my phone right now. It’s just in the back there.”

Bucky grinned mischievously at Steve’s reaction. “Lead the way, Officer.”

As they walked towards the back of the bar, Steve unintentionally made eye contact with Sam. Once Sam noticed Bucky walking directly behind Steve, he nodded proudly and flashed him a thumbs up, mouthing the words, “I got you, man.” Steve rolled his eyes and kept walking. He was just getting his phone. Nothing, absolutely nothing, was going to happen…

Once they reached the breakroom, Bucky tapped a finger to the “Authorized Personnel Only” sign on the outside of the door.

“Guess I don’t have clearance for this area,” he said as he stuffed his hands into his pockets and leaned against the door frame.

“Guess not,” Steve replied simply, still slightly nervous about the fact that Bucky was giving him his number. He unlocked his locker and quickly searched his belongings.

“Next time I see you, will you be wearing that uniform?”

Steve cleared his throat before he replied. “Nope. Definitely not.” He found his phone and walked back to where Bucky was waiting.

“That’s a shame.” Bucky said as he took the phone and began typing in his number. “You look great in it.”

“Yeah, well, I look better with it off,” Steve replied challengingly, trying to get payback on Bucky for his earlier comment.

And his tactics worked. For a moment, Bucky could only stare at him, eyes wide and lips slightly parted in surprise, and Steve couldn’t wait for the next chance to catch him off-guard.

“Well, then,” Bucky finally managed to reply. He took a step closer as handed Steve back his phone. “I guess I’ll have to confirm that for myself sometime.”

And before Steve knew it, their lips were pressed together. He didn’t know if he or Bucky started it—maybe it was a mutual action—but Steve didn’t really care. Actually, at that moment, he didn’t really care about anything. All he cared about was Bucky... tasting more of him (those goddamn _lips_ )… exploring him…

Steve quickly tossed his phone to the side. His newly freed hands soon found their way into Bucky’s hair and— _holy shit_ this was better than he imagined—gently tugged at it. Bucky hummed happily into their kiss and stepped further into the breakroom, pushing Steve along with him. Eventually, Steve was backed against the far wall, and the contact with it caused them both to pause and catch their breath.

“You’re not supposed to be in here,” Steve said, not that he really minded Bucky’s presence.

“So what, are you going to arrest me?” Bucky dared, challenging Steve with his stare.

There was no way Steve was about to back down after that. He took ahold of the front of Bucky’s jacket and pulled him into another kiss before he decided to turn the tables. Steve spun them around so that Bucky was the one backed up against the wall with Steve keeping him there.

“Depends,” Steve said, his lips only an inch away from Bucky’s so that his words would ghost across the man’s lips. “What do you plan on doing in here?”

“I have a couple of ideas,” Bucky replied, his eyes wide and hungry. He pulled Steve in for another kiss.

As Steve’s hands roamed through Bucky’s hair again, Bucky’s hand wandered down to Steve’s ass. From there, he pulled Steve even closer so that they were now pressed against each other in more places than one.

And for a moment, Steve lost some of his self-control. He didn’t even realize that he was using one hand to unzip Bucky’s jacket, or that Bucky was doing the same to unbutton his shirt. He was barely conscious of how he was subtly grinding on Bucky and was more focused on touching the man even more than he already was.

Bucky let out a low chuckle. “Is that a pen in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?”

Steve forced himself to lean back a bit so he could stare at Bucky with the most serious face he could manage. “Both,” he replied simply before reaching down into his apron pocket and pulling out his notepad and pen.

Bucky bit his lip to stifle a laugh. “I wasn’t actually seri—mmph!”

As soon as Bucky drew attention to those lips of his, Steve shut him up immediately. Bucky froze for a moment, but he soon melted into the kiss, letting one of his hands explore Steve’s newly exposed body. Once he knew Bucky wasn’t going to keep talking, he lightly nipped the man’s bottom lip himself before leaning back a bit to admire the view.

Bucky’s eyelashes fluttered and he blinked through his daze. His cheeks were slightly flushed, but were nowhere near as red as the color of his swollen lips. And thanks to Steve, his long hair was tousled enough to let everyone that saw him afterwards know that _someone_ definitely had their hands in it.

“What?” Bucky asked with a cheeky grin. “You like what you see?”

“Absolutely,” Steve replied, just before he leaned back towards Bucky and started trailing kisses down his neck and shoulder…

All of a sudden, Bucky jerked away for a bit, and Steve jumped back in surprise.

“What’s wrong?” Steve asked immediately, hoping he didn’t do something wrong.

For a while, Bucky didn’t respond, and the shocked expression on his face began to worry Steve even more.

“N—nothing,” Bucky eventually said as he nervously pulled his jacket back over his shoulders and stuffed his hands in the pockets. “I just… I should probably get going… and you should probably get back to work…”

It was true that Steve _should_ probably get back to work—he has no idea how long they’ve been back there but Sam can only cover for him for so long. But at the moment, he didn’t really care if it meant leaving things with Bucky like this… whatever “this” was.

“I’m sorry if I did something wrong,” Steve pleaded. “I won’t do it again I swear.”

“It’s… it’s not you, it’s—” Bucky sighed in frustration and looked to his feet. “Look, I know it’s cliché and I don’t want to say it, but… it’s not you, it’s me.”

It may have been cliché, but Steve really had no idea how to respond to it.

“Uh… what?”

Bucky started to look off to the side, and Steve could see the gears turning in his head. “It’s just… there’s something about me that’s… not… normal…?”

“Oh…” Steve replied, again unsure of how to respond. “Okay then.”

The both of them were silent for a while, neither of them moving anywhere or saying anything.

“You know what?” Bucky suddenly exclaimed, causing Steve to jump in surprise. “Screw it. If you’re freaked out by it now, then this whole thing won’t last long anyway. Might as well get it over with now rather than later.”

And before Steve had time to react, Bucky started to take off his clothes.

“What the—!”

But Bucky was stripping so fast that Steve knew there was nothing he could do except to force himself to cover his eyes and try to talk some sense into the man.

“Okay, Bucky?” he began, ignoring the urge to just take a peek through his fingers. “I don’t know what’s going on, but this is probably not the best way to go about it. Let’s just… let’s just put our clothes back on, okay? And then we can talk—”

“Relax, Officer, I kept my pants on. You can open your eyes.”

Steve hesitated for a second before he complied.

Thankfully, Bucky was telling the truth. His pants and boots were still secured to his person while his jacket was strewn on the floor and his shirt was twisted in his hands. Steve’s eyes wandered up Bucky’s torso (which was even more attractive than he thought it would be), back to those amazing lips, and finally stopped at Bucky’s expectant and nervous eyes. Steve had no idea what he was supposed to be seeing.

“What…?”

Bucky sighed before raising his left hand. “This.”

Steve continued to stare at him blankly.

“It’s real.”

“Like…?”

“Like as in a prosthetic, yeah.”

“Oh.” Steve stared at the arm in awe for a moment before looking back to Bucky’s face. The man was staring back at Steve as if he was trying to gauge his reaction. “That’s… that’s amazing…”

Much of the tension immediately left Bucky’s face at Steve’s words, but he still seemed a little skeptical. “Really? You think so?”

“Yeah, of course.” Steve frowned. “Wait, you don’t?”

“No, no, of course not,” Bucky hurriedly replied. “I think it’s awesome. I mean, I kind of have to think that since I helped design it, but still. I just…” He shrugged as he twisted the shirt in his hands a little tighter. “I just thought you’d think it was weird.”

Steve gaped at him. “You designed this arm?! Seriously?!”

“ _Helped_ design it, yeah.” Bucky grinned—his former cockiness was slowly returning. “It’s for this four-year long engineering project with the school, and my group decided to build me a badass arm.”

“Wow, sexy _and_ smart.”

Bucky chuckled. “I could say the same about you, Officer.” He took a step closer to Steve as he unwound the shirt in his hands

“Please, I study art.”

“Well, I still think you’re smart.” Bucky lifted his hand—his metal one—to the center of Steve’s collarbone and brushed a finger to his skin as he slowly traced a line down his body. “Want to know why?”

Steve unwillingly shivered at both the cold of the metal and Bucky’s soft touch on his skin. “Why?” he breathed.

Bucky smiled. “Because, not too long ago, you decided to make out with me in the breakroom of your workplace.”

“Yeah, well that was a no-brainer.”

“I guess so, since you were probably thinking with your dick anyway.”

Well, it’s not like Steve could deny that. So instead, he decided to pick up where he left off—with a little backtracking, of course. And now that Bucky had already conveniently removed his shirt, Steve could do a little more exploring.

He started off by focusing on Bucky’s damn lips while he let hands slowly brush over the man’s torso. In response, Bucky pulled Steve closer by his shirt and backed himself up against the wall once more. Eventually, Bucky’s hands strayed down to Steve’s ass again, so Steve began trailing kisses down to his shoulder.

Once Steve reached the point where skin was replaced with metal, he glanced at Bucky for permission. “Can I…?”

Bucky grinned, looking again like he was drunk on pleasure. “Please do.”

So Steve happily continued, slowly kissing down and up Bucky’s metal bicep—causing Bucky to tighten his grip on Steve—before returning to his lips.

“Shirt,” Bucky muttered briskly into their kiss.

Steve didn’t need to be told twice. But just as he was about to start shrugging it off his shoulders, his phone rang loudly on the floor where he had tossed it earlier. For a second, he thought about ignoring it, but then he remembered…

“Shit! Sorry.” Steve rushed over to his phone and checked the caller ID—it was Sam. He gave Bucky an apologetic look.

Thankfully, Bucky seemed too blissed-out to be mad. He simply grinned and shrugged. “You should probably take that. Pretty sure we’ve been in here for way too long anyway.”

Steve let out a loud sigh before answering it. “Yeah?”

“You know how much I hate being a cockblocker,” Sam began by way of greeting. “But Peggy and I seriously can’t cover for you anymore! Could you, I don’t know, get his number and do your thing in a couple hours? Please?”

“Alright, alright, I’ll be out there in a bit.” Steve hung up the phone and turned back to Bucky. “Guess I have to head back to work.”

Bucky had already put his shirt back on and was working on his jacket. “Good idea. I have to study for a midterm anyway.”

Steve laughed as he walked up to Bucky and helped him zip up his jacket again. “Like I said, smart and sexy.”

“Says the smart and sexy artist.” Bucky replied. “Next time I see you, you think you can draw me?”

“Sure, but only if you’re wearing this damn police costume.”

Bucky grinned. “And what if I’m wearing nothing at all?”

Steve couldn’t hold back the sharp breath he took at the thought. “Then I can’t promise that I’ll be able to get any drawing done.”

Bucky chuckled before placing one more kiss on Steve’s lips.

“I’m more than fine with that,” he muttered before making his way back towards the door of the breakroom.

Right before he walked outside, he turned to back to Steve. “You know… if your shift ends in a few hours, I’ll probably still be awake if you want to stop by.”

“Sure!” Steve replied a little too quickly and with way too much enthusiasm.

But Bucky didn’t seemed to mind. He chuckled before flashing Steve a cocky smile. “I’ll be waiting to hear from you then, Officer.”

And even after Bucky left, Steve stayed in the breakroom for a few more minutes to get his heart rate (among other things) back down. He couldn’t wait for his shift to be over.

**Author's Note:**

> After Steve’s shift, they meet up at Bucky’s place and cuddle in his bed while watching not-so-scary Halloween movies on his laptop.
> 
> Thanks for reading! Feel free to talk with me on tumblr as [sassembled](http://sassembled.tumblr.com).


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